1. Field of Endeavor
The present invention relates to detection and more particularly to paint for detection of corrosion and chemical and radiological materials.
2. State of Technology
Corrosion damage is frequently hidden underneath protective paint coatings. It is reported that corrosion impacts 35,000 ground and tactical vehicles, 15,000 aircraft and helicopters, 1,000 strategic missiles, and 300 naval ships that have approximately 345 million square feet. Such deterioration is credited with mechanical failure of tactical vehicles, near sinking of naval ships, the crashes of several fighter jets in the 1980s, and the collapse of landing gear on several Navy jets during carrier operations. Corrosion-related maintenance activities involve approximately 700,000 military and civilian Department of Defense personnel, and several thousand commercial firms worldwide. Corrosion damage costs the Department of Defense $10-20 billion every year. In 1998, corrosion repair of helicopters cost approximately $4 billion alone. The earlier problems are found, the less expensive the repair.
Paints/coatings of the present invention enable the detection of chemical and radiological warfare agents through direct or instrument-assisted visual inspection. Such paints and coatings can warn soldiers of chemical and radiological attack. This feature can be added to tactical vehicles during maintenance operations. The use of paints inside buildings, trains, and subway tunnels would provide a means of detecting the presence of chemical and radiological warfare agents over large surfaces. Nerve agents are potent cholinesterase-inhibiting organophosphourous compounds. Symptoms of muscarinic and nicotinic overstimulation include abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, excessive salivation and sweating, bronchospasm, copious pulmonary secretions, muscle fasciculations and weakness, and respiratory arrest. Seizures, bradycardia, or tachy-cardia may be present. Severe dehydration can result from volume loss due to sweating, vomiting, and diarrhea. Sequelae can include polyneuropathy and neuropsychiatric changes.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,935,862 to Thaddeus J. Novak issued Aug. 10, 1999 for microspot test methods and a field test kit for on-site inspections of chemical agents provides the following state of technology information: “Over the years, various highly toxic chemical warfare agents (CWA's) have been developed and stockpiled by several nations. In view of the biological hazards associated with CWA's and degradation products thereof, chemical warfare conventions (CWC's) have been developed by certain countries. These CWC's monitor, identify and, if necessary, dispose of CWA's which are not in compliance with the convention. As a result of the convention, it is often necessary to conduct inspections of various sites in order to assure compliance . . . . In view of the advantages of rapidly and accurately identifying the presence of CWA's and associated by-products, and further in view of the need to address the shortcomings associated with currently available detection methods, there is still a need for new and improved detection methods and kits.”